Men's Soccer | 8/21/2024 10:45:00 AM

Who | Utah Tech (0-0) at CSU Bakersfield (0-0)
When | Thursday, Aug. 22 – 8 p.m. MT
Where | Main Soccer Field - Bakersfield, Calif.
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

Getting Ready for Kickoff: Thursday's match at CSU Bakersfield kicks off the beginning of the 2024 regular season for eighth-year head coach Jonny Broadhead. The Trailblazers went 9-9 overall in 2023 with a 4-4 mark in the WAC to finish third in the conference.

The Trailblazers defeated No. 6 seed San Jose State, 1-0 in the WAC Tournament before falling to No. 2 seed and eventual tournament champion California Baptist, 2-0 in the semifinals.

Know Your Foe: Utah Tech and CSU Bakersfield have met twice in program history. The first meeting came in Bakersfield in 2022 with the Trailblazers winning 1-0 while the second meeting was last season in St. George with CSUB blanking Utah Tech, 1-0 in the Trailblazers' home opener.

The Roadrunners went 7-5-5 overall in 2023 and posted a 3-4-2 mark in the Big West to finish seventh in the conference.

New and Familiar Faces: The Trailblazers welcome 12 newcomers while bringing back 19 returners. Eight true freshmen along with four transfers (Manu Monserrat, Sawyer Heaton, Daichi Saito and Cole Bradley) highlight the newcomers while the returners are led by Austin Wallace, Samir Cuevas and Bryce Backlund.

Exhibition Play: Utah Tech went undefeated in their three home exhibition matches defeating Mohave Community College, 7-0, tied Salt Lake Community College, 0-0 and closed out the preseason with a 4-0 win over Colorado Mesa.

Road Warriors: The Trailblazers will play their first five contests on the road before their home opener against Lindenwood on Sept. 13.

Scoring Machine: Sophomore Austin Wallace returns to the lineup after leading the Trailblazers with five goals and 10 points in 2023.

Up Next: Utah Tech returns to California next week to take on UC Riverside (Aug. 29) and Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 1).